Something to cheer about

When Fairfax High principal Ed Zubiate arrived at my alma mater in 2006, he had no intention of simply running in place. He was determined, of course, to lift the school’s academic standing. But he also was committed to an ambitious brick-and-mortar project: rebuilding the school’s aging track and football field.

Back in the mid-1960s, when I was on Fairfax’s cross-country team, I remember endlessly circling that well-trod dirt oval, which by then was already some 40 years old. And that’s the same track used by the school’s current crop of competitors, with virtually no improvements since the campus opened in 1924. As you might imagine, the decades have not been kind—as I know from dodging ruts when I run there today.

Principal Zubiate found this state of affairs ripe for tackling for reasons that transcend footraces and grandstands. As he told a local newspaper last year: “We wanted a school that physically reflected what we think we are on the inside, something the community could take pride in.”

To that end, he initiated an innovative fundraising drive that has been hailed as a model for other campuses in these days of disappearing dollars. For starters, he recruited Joyce Kleifield as the campus’ “development director”—a job usually associated with private schools—and got the non-profit Greenway Arts Alliance to generously pay her salary. Together, the two then reached into the community for donations and services they hoped might shake loose more government funding.

The American Youth Soccer Association, better known as AYSO, agreed to provide public programs valued at $1 million, an amount that enabled Fairfax to receive $2.6 million in voter-approved Los Angeles Unified School District bonds. The Faro Foundation, meanwhile, kicked in $500,000. Given assurances that the new facility would be open to the public at night and on weekends, my office contributed $250,000 in county funds.

Last Friday, the principal’s $6-million dream moved a huge step closer to reality when ground was broken for the new athletic facility. Scheduled for completion in 2012, there’ll be a rubberized track, synthetic field and a new grandstand for the Fairfax High Lions. On hand, among others, were proud members of the football team, who last year won a city championship in their division.

I recently saw Mr. Zubiate quoted as saying: “This is my greatest accomplishment in 30 years with LAUSD. It’s not just the money we raised but the relationships we created.”

How’s that for a winning attitude?

The principal has not only elevated the school’s academics and athletics, he has sent a clear and optimistic message to the neighboring community and beyond: Even in these most trying of times for our public institutions, so many seemingly insurmountable hurdles can be cleared with commitment and creativity. And that’s something to cheer about.

Posted 6/23/11